How Often Do You Feel Like Giving Up?

[artycpt]

I have learned more by making mistakes than by any of the projects I have had go right from the start. Every time I mess something up I make it into an experimental piece that I come up with a new technique to cover up the mistake. This leads to a lot of half finished things around that need some kind of fix or other but makes it so I always have a new skill to learn and keeps me from giving up.

[jk215]

Ive thrown more card holders and wallets across the room in fits of rage then I can remember. You just have to come to terms with the fact you are always going to mess something up and thats how you master the craft.

[cjdevito]

I get discouraged all the time - I look at the works of some of the people here and I know it will be years, if ever, before I approach the level of skill they bring to the table. In the past two years I've completed dozens of projects, but not one of which came out exactly the way I wanted it to. The thing is though that every time I make something, I learn. Improving my work is an incremental process and I accept it as such. I'm sure there are some people who've picked up the tools and discovered on the first try that they're just naturally really good with them. I'm not one of'em, and I try not to let it bother me.

There are so many parts to leathercraft, too. Tooling, construction, dyeing, finishing, design, stitching, edging... I try to make it a rule that when I hit a wall on one of these aspects to spend time trying to tackle a different one. That helps.

Interesting thing is that my work is improving. Not at the pace I want, but nevertheless. There were patterns I bought when I was just starting out that I ended up putting aside at the time as being beyond what I could do at that point. I've since come back to them and managed to do them.

Be patient with yourself. The main thing you need with a hobby like this a desire to do it. As long as the desire is there and you keep plugging away at it, you'll improve. You just have to be okay with the idea it may not happen as quickly as you'd like.

Oh, and even when you feel you've messed a project up I recommend finishing it regardless. Two reasons. One, it's finished - it may not be quite right, but you got though it and you'll have a better idea what to do next time. It didn't beat you. Second reason, because learning from your mistakes is often one of the best ways to improve. If you give up on a project you lose a lot of learning opportunity, but if you take the attitude of "It's already messed up, so I don't have to worry about messing it up any more.... that means I can try this, and this, and that, and see what works and what doesn't" you can pick up a lot of knowledge even from a failed piece.